STUDIES OF ETHIOPIAN SHEEPSKINS AS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR VALUE ADDITION PART II: OPTIMIZATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF WANKE UPPER AND GARMENT LEATHERS

Abstract

Ethiopian tanners face a shortage of raw material input for the production of leather. The government strategically planned for importing raw skins from neighboring countries and also for effective utilization of available raw material resources in the country. The meat of Wanke sheep is in high demand in international markets, but the skin commands low price not only due to low availability but also less demand by tanners due to natural problems associated with the skin. Hence, tanners treat the skin as a reject. The problems of Wanke skin include high natural fat deposition, thin substance and low strength. Usually, leathers made out of Wanke skins have low selections compared to Ethiopian sheep skins and are mainly utilized for making lining leather. In this work, efforts have been made to develop a process technology for making high value leathers with improved properties from Wanke sheepskin.